^°\^^"] R..1.0.U. Co„;,rcss 209 



Some Impressions 



Bv A. J. CAMPBELL, R.A.O.U. 



The Adelaide nieetin<j.s of the R.A.O.U. were conspicuous for 

 the number of niature-aj^ed members who attended. What has 

 become of the younger members? 



The ai^renda jjaper was spleiKhdIy cleared up under the firm, 

 but just, rulinii^s of the President (Dr. J. \. Leach) — there was 

 no unseemly rushmtj off to ])icnics to the neglect of important 

 business. 



The former Adelaide meetings were: — Foundation, 1901, 

 President, Lol. \V. V. Legge ; 1905, President, Sir Charles Ryan; 

 1909, President, Mr. A. J. Campbell; 1913, President, Mr. A. H. 

 E. Mattingley ; and "Majority Meeting," President, Dr. J. A. 

 Leach. 



Those visiting niem1)ers who did not go into camp at Mt. Re- 

 markable were hospitably entertained in town, notably by motor- 

 car drives by Dr. A. M, Morgan, Dr. H. R. Pulleine, ]\Ir. Edwin 

 Ashby and Mr. X. IMcGilp. Capt. and Mrs. S. A. White, in 

 addition to giving a pleasant garden party, led an outing into a 

 romantic glen in the "Holiday Hills" of Adelaide. 



Individual members visited the Zoological Gardens, and were 

 received by the Director, Mr. A. C. Minchin. The birds observed 

 in captivity, with ideal surroundings, were all in fine feather, 

 notably a handsome pair of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, which 

 thrive admirably on sunflower seeds. Interest was attached to 

 a pair of Eyre Peninsula Bell Magpies — duslcy birds, probably 

 Strepera intermedia (Sharpe) — the easterly representatives of 

 S. plumbea. Mallee-Fowl were at home in a scrubby corner. 

 Stone-Plovers had nested, but a Frogmouth (Podargus) had 

 constructed a nest upon the ground at the foot of a tree, instead 

 of in the branches thereof. 



The South Australian Museum (Director, Mr. E. R. Waite) 

 has steadily increased its valuable reference bird-skin collection. 

 The institution is fortunate in obtaining the services of Dr. A. M. 

 Morgan as honorary ornithologist. Assisted by Mr. J. Sutton, 

 Dr. Morgan is cataloguing the skin collection under an approved 

 card system. 



The private collections of Capt. White, Air. J. W. Alellor, and 

 Mr. E. Ashby were also inspected, in part. One will not 

 readily forget a sight of Mr. Ashby's Humming-Birds, which 

 will, no doubt, eventually become the property of his State — 212 

 species, long tails or short tails, tails square or tails forked all 

 incomparably beautiful with iridescent colours that put the rain- 

 bow to shame — rose doree, or begonia rose crowns, amber yellow 

 or amethyst or violet throats, peacock blue or mineral (yellow) 

 green backs, shining chrysoprase, green tails, etc. One specimen 

 for the splendour of its "fire" is said to rival that of a famous 

 opal gem valued at many pounds sterling. 



